A large gold repoussé Crucifixion dominates this jeweled cover. Surrounding Christ are ten mourning figures: below the arms of the cross are the Virgin and John and probably Mary Magdalene and Mary, the wife of Cleopas. The cover's architectural features allude to the jeweled Heavenly Jerusalem, the city made possible by Christ's sacrifice. This cover and that of the Codex Aureus from St. Emmeram in Regensburg, now in Munich, are the two finest Carolingian jeweled bindings. Charles the Bald was the grandson of Charlemagne; the cover may have been made at the Royal Abbey of St. Denis, where Charles was secular abbot from 867 until his death in 877.

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The programs of The Morgan Library & Museum are made possible with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.